Canada 150 and higher prices boost restaurant sales in October says StatsCan

Ottawa – Sales in restaurants, food services and drinking places rose 0.4 per cent to $5.8 billion in October, according to a report from Statistics Canada.

Prices for food purchased from restaurants were up 2.9 per cent in the 12 months to October, while prices for alcoholic beverages increased 1.4 per cent.

Receipts in October rose on the strength of sales at limited-service restaurants (+1.4 per cent). Sales at full-service restaurants edged down 0.1 per cent.

Sales were up in six provinces, led by Ontario (+0.7 per cent), British Columbia (+0.9 per cent) and Quebec (+0.5 per cent). Following four consecutive monthly increases, sales in Nova Scotia declined 2.2 per cent in October. For the first time since March 2017, sales in Alberta (-0.2 per cent) edged down.

Sales in food services and drinking places were up 5.1 per cent in the 10 months to October compared with the same period in 2016.

Canada 150 celebrations and higher prices for food purchased from restaurants likely contributed to higher receipts in each subsector.

Year-to-date sales were up at limited-service eating places (+5.6 per cent), full-service restaurants (+5.7 per cent) and at the special food services industry group (+2.3 per cent) but were down at drinking places (-0.5 per cent).

To find out more, consult the dashboard entitled Food Services and Drinking Places Sales. This web application provides access to data on the sales of food services and drinking places for Canada, the provinces and territories and allows users to compare provincial and territorial data with interactive maps and charts.